Mindfulness training

Hello fellow Better Selves Project mates! Really enjoyed our little spontaneous meet up yesterday, after the visual treat of watching The Artist.

When I woke up this morning, I thought the film and my experience after tied up pretty nicely in an insight. 

The Artist was clever in its referencing of cinematic conventions and techniques, even as it was a love note and homage to the golden age of black-and-white, silent films. But more that that, its self-reflexivity sensitized me to the experience of watching a film.  

But what does this have to do with anything?

I know I broke a few of my own restrictions yesterday, i.e., eating popcorn (I don't know whether it's supposed to be "heaty"), eating chilli from the baby crayfish spaghetti (I realised only at the end that I had forgotten to tell them not to put chilli, was wondering how come I don't remember it being so spicy), and drink a bit of the summer waltz latte (by accident ah, I really didn't know it was coffee, was so taken in by summer and waltz and the osmanthus), and also didn't sleep by midnight.

(But it's not that I didn't take my restrictions seriously. Other than the accidents, I guess the part about hanging out later than I should was a conscious decision because of the very very great company)

The point of the post however, is not about the transgressions. But rather, what the "transgressions" had given me the opportunity to experience - the value and pleasures of little luxuries I had once taken for granted. 

Without my rules and restrictions, hanging out till late would just be like ok, another outing with friends, but because of the rule of sleeping earlier and the rule of not taking a taxi, I was then mindful of the decisions I was making, and weighing out what was more important to me.

But having said that, I think I still did pretty ok. I resisted the urge to stay out longer and also managed to take the public transport home.

Looking forward to meeting up again next week! :)